The first roll-out of the new A321neo ACF

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Hamburg - On January 5, Airbus rolled out its first A321neo ACF (Airbus Cabin Flex) in Hamburg, offering a configuration that can accommodate up to 240 passengers.

This variant of the A321neo was ordered, among others, by Delta Air Lines and Pegasus Airlines, and is expected to be in service by the middle of the year.

The roll-out of the first A321neo with ACF configuration took place in Airbus' Hamburg factory on 5 January 2018, equipped with CFM International LEAP-1A engines, and painted with an Eiffel Tower and a Statue of Liberty symbolizing its autonomy.

The inaugural flight is expected to take place in the coming weeks. It is the first modification of the fuselage of the largest Airbus single-aisle aircraft: up to 4 emergency doors above the wing replacing the two just in front of the wing before. The capacity of the A321neo can thus go from 230 to 240 passengers.

The cabin benefits from the passage of thinner seats and a new design for the rear galley and toilets. This new configuration will also be adapted to the A321LR at the end of the year, which will have an additional tank. The ACF will be a standard for all A321neos by 2020.

In December alone, Qatar Airways converted an order for 34 A320neo and 16 A321neo aircraft into 50 A321neo ACFs equipped with LEAP-1A. A week later, Delta Air Lines signed a firm order for A321neo ACF equipped with Pratt & Whitney's PW1100G-JM. And on December 22, the Turkish low-cost Pegasus Airlines converted its 25 options in a firm order for the A321neo ACF bringing its order book to 100 aircraft for the re-engineered single-aisle.